Looking at You
by Crystal Shimmers
Summary: [IY x YYH] [Yusuke x Kagome x Inuyasha] When something goes wrong in the well, Kagome loses all her memories of her time in the Feudal Era. But when she meets a certain Reikai Tantei, she is somehow able to vaguely recover her memories.
1. Prologue

Crystal: Konnichiwa! Welcome to my story, or an excuse for one! I apologize in advance for any OOCness or suckiness...I'm not the best writer ever. n.n;

Inuyasha: You better not screw me up...

Crystal: o.o Meep! (Hides.)  
---  
  
**Prologue** _n._ An introduction or introductory chapter, as to a novel.  
  
---  
  
"Let's go, Inuyasha," Kagome said softly, gazing at the purple jewel in her outstretched palm. The round of final good-byes had been spoken, and it was time for Kagome and Inuyasha to take their leave.  
  
The hanyou sighed as she closed her hand over the Shikon no Tama, almost as if it signified closing her hand over his dream for the past centuries. But he was giving it up willingly, for something he wanted more – Kagome.  
  
Kagome pulled herself over the edge of the well, stopping to give Inuyasha a prompting nod and an extended arm.  
  
"I'm coming," he said, taking the offered hand, and sitting next to her on the rim of the old well. "Ready?" Kagome nodded. Together they jumped, dropping down the well with increasing speed. _This is it. I'm going to become human._  
  
Everything seemed to go in slow motion from there. A blue light appeared, ready to envelop them, ready to take them to Kagome's world. But instead, it slowly closed in and began to disappear, much to the Kagome and Inuyasha's dismay. The light soon vanished completely, just in time to let Kagome through. Inuyasha was then whipped back with a powerful force, crashing hard into the side of the well.  
  
"Kagome..." was the last thing he was able to voice before his world faded to black.  
  
---  
  
Crystal: I know it's short...it's supposed to be! It's a prologue! xD Anyway, I'll write more soon...if anyone wants me to. -.-;


	2. Forgotten

**Forgotten** _adj._ Unable to remember.  
  
---  
  
Inuyasha groaned as he regained consciousness, his head throbbing achingly. It was strange, for he didn't think he should be experiencing this much pain, even from a blast that powerful. How long had he been knocked out anyway?  
  
Memories soon came back to him of what had happened, and he grimaced. _Kagome. I have to find her._ He attempted to leap out of the well, only to fall pathetically short in distance. Frowning, he tried again, only to fail once again. "Damn! What the heck is wrong with me?" he yelled in frustration, banging his fist against the stone wall, wisps of black hair falling into his vision as he did.  
  
Black...wait, that wasn't right! He gave a small yelp of surprise as he studied his hands; his talons were gone, replaced by normal human fingernails. _WHAT?!  
_  
---  
  
Kagome's eyes fluttered upon slowly, her vision slowly focusing. "What? Why I am in the well house...?" she muttered to herself, absorbing the dusty mini-shrine she found herself in.  
  
"Kagome!" She became aware of a pounding sound on the door. "Kagome, are you in there?"  
  
"H-hold on, Mom! Coming!" she called back, her voice hoarse. She picked herself up off the floor and headed over to the door. She gave it a light tug to open, but it wouldn't budge. She tried a bit harder, then again until she felt she was about to tear her arms of with the effort. Her eyes went back to the door, settling on the lock. _Oh...it's locked._ She quickly flipped the lock on the door and opened the door, met with her mother's worried face. "What am I doing in here?"  
  
"I was about to ask you the same thing," her mother replied, looking concerned. "Souta, Grandpa, and I have been looking everywhere for you."  
  
The girl blinked in confusion, then focused her eyes on the darkened sky behind the figure of her mother. "What...what time is it?"  
  
"It's late. You better get to sleep, you start high school tomorrow, remember?"  
  
"High school..." she again blinked as what her mother said set in. _That's right. Tomorrow's my first day of high school. _Yawning, Kagome traipsed towards the house. "I'm going to bed. Night, Mom."  
  
Mrs. Higurashi smiled warmly. "Good night, Kagome."  
  
---  
  
Opening her drawer, Kagome rummaged through a pile of clothing until she caught a glimpse of her satin blue pajamas in the mess. After tossing them onto her bed, she stripped herself of the blue sundress she had worn that day and changed into her night clothes. After she had brushed her teeth and ran through her hair once with her hairbrush, she willingly collapsed onto the warm comfort of her bed, consciousness leaving her almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.  
  
---  
  
Her dreams were disturbing, being of something that seemed familiar, yet she couldn't quite place it. The area she was in looked ancient and old, like something she would read from a storybook, yet parts of it she could compare with her own home. Taking another look around, she knew it was in fact her home, only with lush grass and trees growing where the shrine had been. Biting her bottom lip, her mind frantically ran over what to do, over what had happened. Then a thought struck her. _The Goshinboku!_ Running like mad, she was at a loss for breath, yet she ran anyway out of sheer hope that it would lead her home – to the shrine, not whatever place this was. In the clearing, the tree was in fact there, but there was something pinned to it. It was a boy...  
  
A loud, buzzing noise snapped her back to reality instantly. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up in bed, not feeling much more refreshed than she had the night before. She knew she had dreamed about something, but she couldn't quite remember what. She couldn't even remember glimpses of it, merely that she had dreamed _something_...  
  
_I don't have time for this! I'm gonna be late!_ she mentally argued with herself after glancing at the clock. So with a sigh, she gave up and prepared herself for the day ahead.  
  
---  
  
Kagome ran down the school halls as fast as her legs could carry her, knowing she would be tardy if she didn't make it to class in a matter of seconds. Rounding the corner into her new homeroom class, she quickly took a seat, just in time for the tardy bell to ring.  
  
She could see her teacher giving her a look of contempt from above the glasses perched on the bridge of his nose; overall he looked quite condescending. She had already taken a slight disliking to him. He then lifted his gaze (to Kagome's relief) and began to call attendance.  
  
"Akita?"  
  
"Here!"  
  
Her brown eyes gazed out the window, the morning sunshine streaming through like rays of heaven. What was that dream about, anyway? she thought, somewhat frustrated she couldn't remember. She felt almost as if it was something important that she had to remember, but couldn't. Yet still, she kept searching her mind, only to come up with nothing.  
  
"HIGURASHI?"  
  
Kagome came back from her thoughts, to find the whole class staring at her. She blushed, realizing he must have called her name several times already. "H-here." The teacher rolled his eyes and continued.  
  
The rest of the class seemed to roll by very slowly. The teacher had the astonishing ability to drone on and on about the simplest things, almost putting Kagome to sleep. She knew history was usually pretty boring, but this was much worse than anything she could imagine.  
  
She perked up as the bell rang again, signifying class was over. The man quickly announced the homework before the class filed out, and Kagome took a mental note of it before hurrying to her next class.  
  
---  
  
Yusuke rubbed his temples in an agitated way, almost over the edge with frustration. Why had he even come to school? Keiko, that was why. If it wasn't for her, he would've already dropped right out of that hell...  
  
Cutting classes had sounded awfully tempting the entire day, but Keiko had been following him through the halls the whole day, so he didn't have a chance...not that he minded having Keiko around, though she could undeniably be a nag. He much preferred talking to her outside of school, when she had less things to yell at him about.  
  
"Yusuke, wait up!" He stopped and looked over his shoulder, to see Keiko running towards him, clutching her books to her chest with one hand, waving to him with the other.  
  
When she finally caught up, he continued walking, keeping mind to walk slow enough for Keiko to keep pace with him. "How was your day, Yusuke?" Keiko asked in a tone only a schoolgirl could conjure.  
  
The Reikai Tantei rolled his eyes. "What do you think?" he muttered, considerably irritated by his whole day. Hell...it was hell and she knew he hated it. Why did she even bother asking?  
  
"Yusuke, you know you have to come to school everyday if you want to graduate." Keiko's voice was stern, and he could tell she was dead serious. But, in his current mood, he didn't really care.  
  
"Who said I even want to graduate?" he retaliated. "I just want to be left alone, okay?" He had said that a bit more harshly than he had meant, as Keiko's hurt face told him, looking as if she was on the brink of tears.  
  
"You're impossible, Yusuke," she said, anger taking the place of hurt. Without another word, she took of in another direction, leaving Yusuke by himself.  
  
He felt a pang of guilt rising in his chest, but ignored it as best he could. _Dammit, why doesn't anyone understand...?_  
  
---  
  
"Are you suggesting we just sit here and wait?!" Inuyasha cried indignantly, pacing the room restlessly. "Something could've happened to Kagome and we're not doing a thing about it!"  
  
"We don't want this anymore than you, Inuyasha," Sango said sternly. "But there's nothing else we can do."  
  
"She took the Shikon no Tama with her," Miroku confirmed for Sango's statement, "and in your current state, it is doubtful you could pass through the well."  
  
Inuyasha crossed his arms and furrowed his brow, unable to retort, as the houshi's words were the truth. "Damn it all," he muttered, before stomping out of Kaede's hut. Waiting...he hated waiting.  
  
---  
  
Crystal: Sorry that took so long. I lost my inspiration for a while...I'll try not to take so long next time. Also, I realize there was no interaction between Yusuke, Kagome, and Inuyasha, as I meant this chapter to be kind of an introduction to the lives they are now leading after the "incident" in the well. Anyway, thanks for reading. Ja! 


	3. Impressions

Crystal: Heh heh...sorry for taking so long to update. I've been suffering from writer's block, not to mention this is my first time writing a romance fic. o.o; Anyway, Yusuke and Kagome meet this chapter! n.n And...they argue a lot. -.- Silly kiddies. Oh, and I believe there's some OOCness this chapter, but I warned you about that earlier. ;D

**Impressions** _n._ An effect, feeling, or image that is retained as a consequence of experience.

---

The first week of school had passed and Kagome was doing just fine. All her homework was turned in on time, and most of her assignments came back with a big, red "A" scrawled at the top. So far, she was one of the best students in her class.

Stifling a yawn, Kagome sat in a random desk in her history class. She had made it a point not to be late – or nearly late – anymore, as her teacher was a stickler for punctuality. Well, he was a stickler for pretty much everything. Generally, he was the type of teacher everyone hated.

"As this is your second week of school," he began after calling roll. "I believe this would be a good time to assign your quarter projects." The entire class groaned inwardly, though they dared not to aloud. Except one dark-haired boy Kagome had never really noticed before (probably because he hadn't been in school pretty much the whole week). "That'll be enough, Mr. Urameshi," the teacher said, shooting the boy one of the glares he was oh-so-famous for.

"I will assign each of you to a partner, and together you will choose an event in history to research. This topic will be approved by me, of course," he added. "You will then write a 10 page report on your topic. I do not care how you divide up your work; that is your concern. I only care that it is done before the end of the quarter. This project will be worth one-fourth of your overall grade. Any questions?" There were none. "Then I will begin assigning partners."

Then he began calling off names, but Kagome could only sit by and hope she got a decent partner. After all, it was a whole quarter of her grade! Not to be taken lightly. "Higurashi, Kagome," – she straightened and became alert – "and Urameshi, Yusuke."

_Urameshi..._ She blinked, for a moment forgetting who that was. But soon enough, she matched the name to the boy who the teacher had reprimanded a couple minutes ago. She only then noticed the pitying looks the entire class was giving her. She blushed, a 'what's-everyone-looking-at-me-for' confused look written across her face.

The teacher, however, did not stop, but continued pairing people off until everyone had been called, and then sent them off with the person they had been assigned to, giving them 10 minutes to think up a good topic.

Kagome wandered over to Yusuke's desk tentatively, soon seeing as he had no intention of walking over to her. _He probably just doesn't know who I am_, she thought, trying to reassure herself, but the looks people were still giving her didn't really help.

"Um...hi," she said as she stood next to him, trying to get his attention. He didn't ever bother looking at her, only flashed his hand as if to say he recognized she was there and muttered, "Hey." "Um...is there anything in particular you want to do the project on?"

The boy named Yusuke shrugged. "No."

"Any ideas...at all?"

"Nope."

Kagome's right eye twitched slightly. "Could you please try to be a little more helpful?" she asked as calmly as she could. So far, he hadn't even bothered looking at her.

"No."

"Fine! I'll pick a topic myself, okay?!" she said in a frustrated tone, taking his history book into her own hands and flipping through it. Yusuke looked like he hadn't even heard her.

---

By the end of the 10 minutes, the two had decided to research the Sengoku Jidai. (Well, it was really more like Kagome decided, and Yusuke didn't say anything, so Kagome went with that.)

The class bell finally rang and Kagome traipsed out of the class, her attitude an annoyed and distressed one. _Great...I'll probably end up doing the whole project myself._ She groaned, then slammed her fist down on her hand. "No way!" she argued with herself. "There's no way I'm gonna do everything myself!"

"Y'know, you really shouldn't talk to yourself," came a casual voice from behind her, and she nearly jumped.

"You!" she shouted in recognition, half angry, half surprised. "Don't sneak up behind me like that!"

Yusuke smirked in satisfaction at the embarrassed flush in her cheeks. "Well you shouldn't," he said with a shrug.

Kagome opened her mouth to retort, but closed it and sighed. _I should calm down. Nothing's going to be solved if I just get angry._ "I don't want to do the entire project by myself. Could you please try to help me out? I can't do it alone." She had asked as calmly and politely as she could, there was no way he could say no...

"Look, you're lucky I was even in school today, okay?! I'm flunking all my classes, so I wouldn't even be much help to you anyway! It's not my fault I got paired up with you!"

At first, Kagome looked taken aback by his outburst. Then her eyes narrowed and her fists clenched. "YOU JERK!" she screamed at him, stomping off to her next class. If their conversation hadn't attracted any stares before, now it did.

Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Your problem," he muttered under his breath and walked off in the other direction.

---

Crystal: Yes, I know that chapter was even shorter than the last one. I would've written more, but I felt like that was a good stopping point. Besides, it could take me a very long time to write another page, and I feel obligated to update. x.x I'm trying people, I really am!


	4. Apologies

Crystal: (Looks at the date of the last update.) Wow, has it really been that long since I updated? I'm such a lazy bum. x.x

On a happier note...

Awright! I've decided I'm actually going to be a decent person, and RESPOND to my reviews! n.n;;;

PrincessKikyoMarie: Thank you! That's nice to hear for someone with such low self-esteem as I. oo; Here's your update!

Itsuko-chan: (Backs away and laughs nervously.) Hey, look, it's an update! (Runs.)

Addanc-TSC: :) to you, too. ;D

Oh, and since I can't do the usual chapter dividers (y'know, those three little hypens?) I made new ones. Aren't they uber spiffy?

L-O-O-K-I-N-G

**Apologies **_n. _Expressions of regret at having caused trouble for someone.

A-T

Yusuke sat on the wall of the school gate long after everyone else had gone home. It had been another long day, probably the worst of all his days at school so far. Maybe he'd skip tomorrow... "One day can't hurt, right?"

"Yes, it can," said the stern voice from behind him. He flinched in recognition. _How is she always able to find me?_ Yusuke wondered, jumping down from the wall so he was standing level with Keiko. "Yusuke, who was that girl with you today?" Keiko went on to ask. She wasn't really angry or suspicious as he had expected, just curious. Yusuke smiled inwardly. _At least she trusts me a little bit now,_ he thought, remembering when she had thought there was something going on between him and Botan.

The ebony-haired boy shrugged, wanting to avoid the subject, which would probably merit another lecture. "Just a girl I have to do some lame project with."

However, Keiko knew Yusuke well enough to know where this was going. "You are going to help her out, right, Yusuke?"

He folded his arms, avoiding her gaze. "Maybe."

"What exactly did you say to her?" Keiko demanded, much sharper this time. _Ah. There's the Keiko I know._

"To work on the stupid project herself!" Yusuke burst out, slightly annoyed. "It's not like it matters, anyway! If I helped, we'd both just fail, so what does it matter?!"

"Yusuke, apologize."

"To you?! Why?! What did I do?"

"Not to me! To her!"

"No way – OW! ALRIGHT!" He had tried to protest, but the moment he had opened his mouth, Keiko had grabbed his ear and pulled as hard as he could.

"Good," Keiko said, smiling with satisfaction, and she began to start for home, turning around to say, "You'll thank me later!"

"Sure, I will..." Yusuke muttered sardonically, but Keiko only giggled at his comment.

"Bye, Yusuke."

"Yeah, see ya." He gave a small wave of his hand and leaned against the beige brick of the wall. _Great. Now I have to go apologize to some random girl._ But it was the only way to please Keiko, and besides, he didn't have to see her until the next day. And it wouldn't be so bad... _Che, who'm I kidding? This sucks..._ Where would he apologize to her anyway? There was no way he was going to do it in public, and it wasn't as if he could randomly pull her over into some dark, secluded corner.

By then he had already started down the road to his apartment. He could the setting sun in the distance; he had been held back for detention that day, so it was pretty late.

He wasn't particularly watching where he was going, but there weren't many people around, so he didn't think it mattered, until he felt a slightly smaller person bump into his strong build and fall backwards. He blinked, "Uh, sorry..." he muttered, not very perceptive at the moment, offering a hand to pick the girl up off her feet. "Hey, it's you!"

"Yeah," she said, somewhat darkly, choosing to pick herself off the ground herself instead of letting Yusuke help her.

"Er..." _Okay, here's my chance. But what the hell am I supposed to say?_ "Uh, sorry," he finished, remarkably casually.

He didn't need to elaborate, as Kagome knew what he was talking about. She looked a bit surprised, but also a bit hopeful. "Does this mean you'll help me with the project?"

_No way! NO WAY!_ a voice in his head screamed, but he ignored it, imagining Keiko's wrath if he didn't at least try to be reasonable. "Well..." he trailed off, his gaze avoiding hers. He didn't want to, but now he didn't seem to have much of a choice.

Kagome apparently took this as a "yes" and smiled. "So, maybe we could stay after school tomorrow and do some research?"

"Look, I..."

"All right! See ya then!" she said happily, taking off in the direction of wherever she was going and waving.

He sighed. _Well, I guess skipping tomorrow isn't gonna_ _happen._

Y-O-U

Crystal: Ah, yesh, more OOCness and short chapter-ness from yours truly, the sucky fanfic writer. -.- I thought the chapters would be longer, but I guess not. o.o; Oh well, at least there will be more chapters! (Runs from the rotten tomatoes everyone is chucking.)


	5. Glimpse

Crystal: Okay, I don't have much to say right now, so I'll just respond to the reviews.

Addanc-TSC: Thank you for the compliment. :) Yes, this will be a YusukexKagome pairing, with a bit of InuyashaxKagome mixed in. I think YusxKag is a pretty cool pairing too, which is why I decided to write this fic.

Itsuko-chan: O.O I get your point.

Spellsattwilight: Twilight, shut up. -- Shut up or I'll stop updating! Mwahahaha! I can do that, you know. O.o But I wouldn't...so whatever...

L-O-O-K-I-N-G

**Glimpse** _n._ A brief, incomplete view or look.

A-T

The bell rang, signaling the end of school, and Yusuke was definitely ready to go home. He had only been in school for about a week and he was already fed up. He only wished he could go back to the good old days of only showing up once every two weeks, but Keiko would never allow that. (_Stupid Keiko, she's controlling my whole life!_)

In the meantime, relaxing for the rest of the day was good enough. To just hang out and...

"Yusuke!"

He winced as he heard Kagome calling out his name. _She found me._

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Yusuke waited for Kagome to catch up in a rather annoyed manner, but Kagome didn't seem to notice. "I found some pretty good books in Study Hall," she said, shifting the books she held in her arms to show they were the ones she was talking about.

"How nice for you," Yusuke said with an eye roll.

"If you keep having an attitude like that, we'll never be able to work together!" Kagome protested. "Can't you just cooperate for this once?"

"Let's just get this over with. Where are you going to drag me to, Study Hall?"

Kagome nodded, and so they went.

Y-O-U

Yusuke looked reluctantly at the pile of books on the table before him. "We have to go through all of these?" he asked in disbelief.

"Well, yeah, that _is_ what we're here for," Kagome replied, grabbing a book of the top of the pile and flipping it open. "We don't need to read them all today, okay? Let's just get through a few," she added as she began to read.

Yusuke shrugged, took a book, and flipped it open, his eyes skimming the page but not really picking up any of the content.

A couple minutes later, Kagome poked her head over to look at Yusuke's working area. "Aren't you going to take any notes?" she questioned, slightly irritated.

The boy looked up at her and blinked, a genuinely clueless expression on his face. "I'm supposed to be taking notes?"

Kagome sweat dropped, then rested her forehead in her palm. "Now I see why you're failing," she muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Yusuke objected, picking up her remark.

She shook her head. "Nothing. Just take notes this time, okay?"

"Yeah, whatever," he mumbled glaring at Kagome slightly, but didn't protest.

The next hour-and-a-half went by silently, save for the rapid scribbling of Kagome's pen, and the occasional sound of Yusuke's pencil in motion. It was obvious Kagome was getting more done than her partner, especially after he excused himself to go who-knows-where for about 30 minutes, but it was a major improvement on Yusuke's part that he was actually working at all. Kagome didn't realize this then, but she still didn't know exactly how bad his reputation was.

The girl sighed, quietly closing her book as she finished the last page. She already had a slight headache from reading all that content (it was a rather large book.) She focused her brown eyes on Yusuke, who was tapping his pencil against the table and had a frustrated look on his face. If studying the books was slightly difficult for her, it must've been torture from him. "Hey, Yusuke?"

"Yeah?" He dropped his pencil and turned to look at Kagome, and their eyes met. Kagome's eyes widened as she stared at Yusuke...yet saw someone else in her mind.

His hair had changed to a silver color and grown out considerably, reaching to his waist, and it was no longer slicked back; thick bangs dangled in front of golden eyes, in need of a trim. He was clad in a red haori that seemed very similar somehow... But his face had not changed. It was still Yusuke's face.

"Would you quit staring at me like that!" Kagome blinked and the image disappeared, replaced by the boy sitting in front of her. "Geez, you were creeping me out."

"Sorry," she said, a light blush rising in her cheeks. "Um...I was just going to suggest that now might be a good time to go home."

"About time," Yusuke muttered, standing up and stretching a bit, before heading towards the door. "Ja."

Kagome nodded, still a bit flustered and confused by what she had just seen. "Yeah. Ja ne."

L-O-O-K-I-N-G

Crystal: Grr...I had half this chapter done the day after I published the last chapter, but never finished it till now. T.T I was actually hoping I would have a quick update for once. But y'all have to bear with me and my procrastinating ways! xD Anyway...hoped you liked the chapter. n.n; (Oh, and by the way, this chapter is longer than the last one! Wh00t, wh00t! xDDDD)


	6. Lunch

Crystal: Ohmigod! I updated! I'm sorry it took so long, but school just started, so I've been extra busy.

Twilight Oracle: Hmph. Well, I updated. So you can't boil me in pickle juice! Ha! O.o;

AbsentAngel: Thank you for the compliment. :) What? Yusuke? Inuyasha's reincarnation? Where on earth did you get that idea? (Shifty eyes.)

Lady Akina: She can't remember because the Shikon no Tama and the incident in the well erased her memories, as well as the memories of all her friends and family about being in the Feudal Era. n.n; Hope that makes sense.

Inu-fluff-luvr/S. Weez: Here's your update!

Kawaiipnay:Yep, it's longer, at least by a little bit. xD All hail the glorious Word Count!

Gurlhushere13:Thank you for the compliment! n.n Inu will see her a couple chapters, don't worry. ;D

Now without further adieu...on with the story!

L-O-O-K-I-N-G

**Lunch** _n._ A meal eaten in the middle of the day, especially a light meal that is not the main meal of the day.

A-T

Kagome gripped her lunch pail, her eyes scanning over the crowds of people sitting in the cafeteria. Knowing _her_ luck, she'd probably end up sitting by herself again.

It was pretty unfortunate for Kagome that all her friends were in A lunch, not B lunch like herself. She wished that at least Houjou had lunch with her, even if he did make her uncomfortable at times. He was a really nice guy and all, but she just didn't like him like _that_. And it didn't help with her friends bugging her about him every two minutes.

_I wonder what lunch Yusuke has...?_ she thought as her mind began to wander, then quickly scolded herself. _Why do I care what lunch that jerk has? As if I would sit with him, anyway._ Kagome could tell her words lacked conviction, but that wasn't what was on her mind at the moment.

Through a cafeteria window, she could see a familiar face right outside. _That's Yusuke. But what is he doing out there?_ Well, there was only one way to find out, and it wasn't as if she was missing anything in the cafeteria. So she quietly slipped out the doors of the school dining hall, unnoticed by all her peers, continuing their conversations and eating their lunches.

Y-O-U

Yusuke strolled towards the school gates, excitement brewing up within him. Throughout the first two weeks he had been in school, he hadn't been able to cut class, not even once, and it was definitely starting to get to him. Well, today would be different.

It was the perfect opportunity to sneak out. Keiko was busy with one of her study sessions, council meetings, or whatever she did, and since he was leaving during lunch, he wouldn't be missed until next period, therefore no one could stop him from going.

"...Yusuke?"

"GAH!!" Yusuke blurted out in surprise, caught off-guard by the girl's sudden appearance. Maybe his plan had been a bit too perfect to ever actually work out. He whipped around, staring straight at Kagome, his eyebrows narrowed in irritation. "Shut up already! You didn't see me here, okay?!" If Keiko knew what he had been trying to do...he winced inwardly.

Kagome blinked and tilted her head, a bit taken aback by his shouting. "Yusuke, what are you...?" She straightened suddenly, and her eyebrows narrowed as well. "You weren't planning to sneak out, were you?" she demanded of him.

"Just forget it," Yusuke dismissed the subject with a dejected sigh.

"Why aren't you at lunch with everyone else?" Kagome inquired. Yusuke rolled his eyes. He was oh-so used to this kind of nagging, and yet...Kagome's words seem to hold a bit of concern, unlike the scorn of Keiko's.

"I don't even have a lunch, so there's no point."

Kagome blinked. "Why not? Did you forget it at home?"

"I guess you could say that," he muttered, taking a seat on a nearby bench.

He then almost forgot about Kagome's presence through her momentary silence, staring out at the sky and sulking over his sucky life. How he wished he could get out of school, but lately it seemed not only Keiko but Kagome was ruining all his chances. The stress was killing him, and he barely ever did any of the schoolwork, so what was the point of sitting there for hours on end anyway? Plus he was starving, he was reminded as his stomach let out a low growl.

"Here." He jerked his head to see Kagome sitting next to him, offering him a half of her sandwich. He blinked, unsure of what to say for a moment.

"Um...thanks," he said, taking the food and silently wondering if she some sort of secret motive. He'd never done anything for her, and she hadn't really seemed to like him much, so why was she acting kind towards him all of a sudden?

They ate in silence for a few moments, until Kagome finally spoke. "So, do you eat out here all the time?"

He shrugged. "I usually eat during class." At this, the girl facefaulted.

"Yusuke, you have to be the worst student I've ever met," she muttered with an eye roll.

"Yeah, so what?"

She shook her head. "Never mind."

A voice once again broke the awkward silence, but this time it was not Kagome's, but Yusuke's. "Why aren't you in there with everyone else?" he asked of her, his eyes not meeting hers.

"Well, it's not like I know anyone in there anyway," she answered, satisfying his curiosity enough that he didn't ask her anything more about the subject. However, Kagome wasn't quite done with it yet. "What about you? Why aren't you in there?"

He shrugged. "Same reason, I guess." It wasn't necessarily true, as Keiko had the same lunch schedule as himself, but she wasn't there today anyway.

"...Yusuke?" Both heads turned to see a small brunette girl clad in the same uniform as Kagome. She looked at Yusuke curiously, as if silently asking him who the girl was. Kagome didn't recognize her, but she seemed to know Yusuke.

"Hey Keiko, is–what are you glaring at me for?!" he protested mid-sentence, finally noticing Keiko's angry glower fixated upon himself.

At this point, the girl now identified as Keiko looked like she was at her boiling point. Her tiny hands were balled into fists, and she let out the scream, "YUSUKE, YOU JERK!" before storming off into the school building.

"Who was that?" Kagome asked cluelessly, slightly taken aback from what had just occurred. In response, Yusuke leaned back against the bench and sighed.

"That was Keiko. Sorry about that, she's a little overprotective."

Kagome knew what that meant, and she felt her cheeks reddening despite herself. "Your...girlfriend?"

"Basically, yeah."

The girl quietly stood up, brushing herself off, ready to make a hasty exit from the now awkward situation. "Well, I better get going, the class bell will ring any second now!" She looked back to Yusuke for a moment, flashing an apologetic smile. "Sorry for the trouble I caused. I didn't think..."

"It's not your fault," he said nonchalantly, though Kagome could detect a bit of irritation in his voice. "Well, ja."

Kagome nodded, and headed back into the main building.

L-O-O-K-I-N-G

Crystal: Hooray for my pointless filler, not really fluffy, extremely OOC update. ox I hope I'm not making the romance go too rapidly, I hate stuff like that...I'll try to slow down a bit, 'kay? Well, thanks for reading, I'll try to update sooner! (Keyword is try! xD)


	7. Rain

Crystal: All of you should be thanking Twilight right now. Without her, I'm not sure I would have ever finished this chapter. XD

Gurlhushere13: Thank you! n.n Lookie here, I updated! Wh00t! XD

AbsentAngel: Yes, I know my chapters are hopelessly short, I'm trying to fix that, though. XD Well, this one's longer, those it still is pretty short...o.o;

TwilightOracle: Shut up, you. I warned you about OOCness in my fic. XP

inu-fluff-luvr/S.Weez: Well, it's nice to know I'm not speeding up the romance too much. n.n; Hopefully this chapter made it go a bit faster, though. ;)

Americanpuppy22: Yep, school is definitely crazy. X.x Thank you for the nice review. :)

L-O-O-K-I-N-G

**Rain** _n._ Any storm, shower, or other quantity of water falling from the sky.

A-T

Yusuke rested his head on the open pages of his textbook. He had a major migraine from taking in all the content – half of it he didn't even understand – from the book, let alone writing down notes he thought would be "useful" for his studies. He began to wonder how he had been roped into these little study sessions. It was only the third one, and he already felt he couldn't take much more.

His eyes began to close and he could feel his consciousness slowly drifting away – he could take on the toughest youkai, but studying always wiped him out – and then he was abruptly awoken by Kagome shaking his shoulder. "What...?" he groaned sleepily.

"You're supposed to be working, not sleeping!" Kagome said indignantly, then sighed gustily, snapping her textbook shut. "Well, it's about time we go home anyway, so I guess it doesn't matter."

"Yeah, you're right," Yusuke mumbled, standing up and stretching, "It's about time."

Kagome sweat dropped. "I've never seen anyone have as much trouble with studying as you, Yusuke."

"Thanks." He flashed a grin, causing Kagome's sweat drop to grow. _Just like him to take it as a compliment,_ she thought with an annoyed sigh, following after Yusuke as he headed towards the main doors.

"It's raining," Yusuke announced from the open doorway. Kagome stood on her toes and poked her head over his shoulder to see outside, and indeed, it was pouring.

"We're supposed to walk home in that?!" Kagome groaned, suddenly wishing she had at least brought an umbrella to school. She would be completely drenched by the time she got to the shrine – she couldn't say it was all that close to her new school.

"My place is only a couple blocks from here," Yusuke said suddenly, and Kagome looked up, a bit surprised. "We can stay there until the storm stops."

"Good idea," she replied with a nod. She was a confused by his actions though, as Yusuke hadn't struck her as the most considerate guy in the world.

"Ready?" he asked, and she again responded with a nod. Then they both ran off, holding their arms above their heads in a desperate attempt to stay dry.

"Which way?" Kagome asked, finally realizing she hadn't the slightest clue how to get to Yusuke's house.

"Just follow me." He continued to run, pacing himself a bit so Kagome could keep up, and taking a turn here and there.

In a couple minutes, they were standing before the Urameshi's apartment, soaked to the bone. Kagome rung out her hair as Yusuke reached for the key in his pocket and turned open the lock.

"Oh, and I should warn you about the mess," he added as he strode inside, heading down the hall to do something.

Kagome stepped inside timidly, startled as she entered the area. Beer bottles were strewn everywhere, and the place was, as Yusuke had told her, a total mess. She suddenly didn't feel all that comfortable staying at his place, even if it was only until the rain stopped.

Yusuke appeared in the room again, holding two small white towels. He tossed one to Kagome, who caught it with a bit of difficulty, and headed towards the refrigerator. "Want something to drink?"

After seeing all the bottles of empty alcohol around the house, she began to feel nervous at his question. Picking up an empty bottle, she pointed to it and said sternly, "Yusuke, you don't...drink, do you?"

"Wha?" He looked utterly confused for a moment, then the whole situation processed. "No, my mother does."

"Oh." Relief washed through her, but also a bit of nervousness for herself and even concern for Yusuke at this new discovery.

"Don't worry, she won't be home today," he went on, as if reading her thoughts.

A blush spread across her face. "What...what do you mean by that?! It's not like I don't want her here or anything..."

Yusuke only laughed in an almost cold manner, as if to say "yeah right."

Kagome rolled her eyes, but held back a sharp reply, and began drying out her hair with the towel.

When Yusuke was finally done raiding the fridge, he walked back over to Kagome, handing her a soda. "You might want to borrow some clothes."

She gave a meek nod, as her soaked clothes had become quite annoying and uncomfortable. "Y-yes, thanks." Following Yusuke into a bedroom, she pulled the towel tightly around herself, her cheeks still a faint crimson.

He handed her a lavender colored shirt that probably belonged to his mother. It was much too big for her – only the very tip of her navy skirt visible from underneath it – but she didn't mind.

"Could I use your phone?" Kagome asked, fiddling with the hem of the shirt. "So I can my mom to come pick me up. I, anou...don't want to cause you any trouble."

"Do whatever you want," he muttered, walking back to the living room and flipping on the TV.

"Could you show me where it is?" Kagome added with a sweat drop.

"It's in the kitchen," he said flatly, not looking up from his new spot in front of the television screen.

Turning to look back, she spotted it just above the kitchen counter and wondered why she hadn't noticed it before. Picking up the receiver, she quickly tapped in the number she had memorized forwards and backwards and patiently waited for her grandpa, mother, or even little brother to pick up.

However, no one did, so instead she left a short message and hung up, sighing dejectedly.

Kagome then walked over and sat down on the floor next to Yusuke, pulling her knees to her chest and staring at the screen. "No one was home."

Yusuke shrugged, his eyes not leaving the screen. "Well, there's nothing you can do about it, right?"

They sat in silence for a few minutes, until it was interrupted by an indignant cry from Yusuke. "Hey! What the hell did you do that for?!" he screamed accusingly, glaring at a Kagome who now held the remote control in her hands.

"I couldn't stand watching that anymore! How can you actually enjoy watching people try to kill each other?!"

"IT'S WRESTLING, STUPID!"

Heaving a sigh, Kagome inwardly decided it would be best if she at least _tried_ to compromise on something. "Pick a different channel, alright?"

"Fine," he said, his glare still intense in an almost comical way, as he snatched the remote back and flipped to a new, slightly less violent channel.

"Um...by the way, I wanted to say thanks," Kagome said suddenly, causing Yusuke to turn to look at her, a perplexed look on his face.

"Thanks for what?" he asked, clearly confused. What had he done for her to thank him?

"For letting me stay here for a while, I guess," she muttered, her face a deep red as she wished she hadn't said anything at all. "I might still walking home in the rain."

"It was no big deal, I don't see why you're apologizing." Kagome could tell he still didn't quite understand, so she just shook her head and let it go.

Y-O-U

A couple hours had passed, just sitting in front of the TV and watching the various shows, most in Yusuke's interest versus Kagome's, though she didn't complain too much. Kagome had tried to start a conversation several times, all dying out after the first few minutes. Later on, she just stopped trying.

It was growing late, the sky now a pitch black and the rain still coming down hard, and still no one had come to take Kagome home. It was beginning to look like Kagome would have to walk home, but Yusuke unfortunately knew he would have to go with her – who in their right mind would send a 16-year-old girl out alone at 9:30 at night in the pouring rain?

Yusuke was about to say something about the matter, when he felt something rest upon his shoulder. More flustered than he had ever remembered being he turned his head to see Kagome, who had apparently fallen asleep.

After taking a moment to regain his composure, he shook his shoulder slightly, yelling, "Wake up, stupid!" She did not budge, but instead took the opposite effect of what Yusuke wanted and held steadfastly onto his arm.

Seeing as there wasn't much he could do, he sat there helplessly in a quite annoyed manner, until sleep started to wash over him as well...

L-O-O-K-I-N-G

Crystal: Hooray for my poorly written fluff! Well, this is my first romance story, so at least I have an excuse! XD

And guess what happens next chapter? The thing you've all been waiting for...INUYASHA ARRIVES! Or that might be the chapter after next...I'm not quite sure yet...

Um...anyway. Sorry about the time between updates! Please forgive me, I am a natural born procrastinator! n.n;


	8. Aftermath

Crystal: Ha! I LIVE! I bet you doubted that, didn't you?

Nope, I'm not dead, just a lazy procrastinator. And I shower my reviewers with apologies for not updating sooner. Would you excuse me if I told you I suffer from permanent writer's block?

Silver-Shadow-Fox: n.n Yay! That makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. XD Yes, I prefer my stories to go nice and slow, because it makes me able to see the pairing a little bit better.

inu-fluff-luvr/S. Weez: Hehe. I'm glad you liked it. n.n

kawaiipnay: Heh, yeah I wondered about that too. But his mom's not going to come in...not _yet_ anyway...;D

Twilight Oracle: Yep, Yusuke is a fight-obsessed moron! But he's a _kawaii_ fight-obsessed moron. nn

gurlhushere13: Glad you liked it! Here's your update!

vicky: Yep, the pairing is indeed Yus/Kag. And I updated! Wh00t.

excel-saga: O.O You feel strongly about that, don't you? Well, I'll try to update more often...I'll _try_. n.n;

L-O-O-K-I-N-G

**Aftermath** _n. _The consequences of an event, especially a disastrous one, or the period of time during which these consequences are felt.

A-T

Kagome blinked several times to clear her fogged vision, an unfamiliar place coming into focus. Her head was not supported by the usual softness of her pillow, but something firmer, that rose and fell subtly and steadily.

In realization of what she was resting her head upon, she let out a small yelp and sat up so fast she got dizzy enough that she almost fell back down again.

"Nh," came the stirring of the boy on the floor next to her, turning over in disgruntled sleep, though her heart was almost pounding too loudly in her ears for her to catch it.

"Yusuke, wake up!" Her brow furrowed as her eyes turned to the sunlight pouring in through the curtained window. They were definitely at least an hour late for school as it was... Kagome's heart sunk at the thought of what would happen when she walked in late without a good excuse.

Let alone what would happen when she walked in late with Yusuke, both without excuses.

Might people assume that something had actually happened between them that night? Her face turned bright red at the thought. _I don't even _like_ him!_ Her eyes slowly gazed back down to him, looking over his sleeping figure. Did she really? _Well...he's not all _that _bad..._

But he had a girlfriend! She shook her head vigorously, in an action to dispel any traces of romantic feelings that had developed as a result of the last night.

"Wake up!" she shouted, louder than the last time, but not desperate enough to reach out and touch him. Subconsciously, she was still much too flustered to, even if only to shake him awake.

"Hn?" he muttered groggily, his lids opening slowly for the schoolgirl's anxious face to come into view first thing. "H-hey!" he shouted edgily, suddenly wide awake. "What are you doing in my house?"

"Hey! It's your fault!" Kagome retorted almost automatically. "You invited me over!" She hadn't phrased it exactly how she meant to, but she ignored that as bigger issues were on her mind.

"I...well...oh. I did..." Yusuke mumbled incoherently, recalling the events of the night before. Fumbling for a comeback he managed to blurt out, "Well, what else was I supposed to do?!"

"And what to do you expect me to do now?! We're already late for school!"

"Well, no point in going to school then," Yusuke shrugged the matter off in an instant and laid back down, closing his eyes.

"How can you say that? Don't you even care about your grades?!" Kagome realized how stupid of a question this was as soon as she said it. Of _course_ he didn't care about his grades. He fell asleep in school, put off assignments as much as he could, and overall was a complete and total idiot.

But for some reason, it almost seemed like she didn't mind like she had when she first met him. She had come to accept it as a part of him, along with the fact that were other good qualities along with the delinquency.

"Maybe..." she said softly, unbelieving how she could say that. She had never skipped school before in her life and was just deciding to do it now because Yusuke had suggested it? _Well, it would look less suspicious if we didn't come in late together,_ she reasoned silently. _And I won't have to explain to the teachers _why _I'm late. But what if the school calls home?_ Her stomach felt as if it was knotted as she realized the school would probably be calling home no matter if she was late or absent. Either way, it was still considered skipping class.

_What have I got to lose?_ she thought dismally, letting herself relax a bit. _At the very least, I can get some more sleep..._

Y-O-U

It had been almost a month, and Inuyasha was not appeased.

Day after day, he had brooded, waiting for Kagome's return. What in all the hells could have been taking her so long to come back?

He lay his hand upon the wooden rim of the old dry well both he and Kagome had passed through so many times. It seemed so easy to just jump down and arrive in her world, like he always had been able to before.

_"In your current state, it is doubtful you could pass through the well."_

The ningen frowned, his grip on the wood tightening. He felt so weak and helpless, a feeling he did not enjoy in the least, especially when something could've happened to Kagome because he couldn't save her.

"That's it!" He shook his head vigorously, putting his leg on the rim of the well, in a position so that he was ready to spring. "I don't give a damn about what Miroku said!"

And so he jumped.

Y-O-U

Kagome hugged her knees to her chest, for despite her efforts she had not been able to sleep.

Images of what would happen once jii-chan and her mother found out kept playing and replaying in her mind. Her little bubble of optimism and hope had been shattered as she had begun to think of worse and worse scenarios and what her fate would be afterwards. How had she been talked into this?

She took a quick glance at the clock. It was only three hours into school, so she could still make it for about half of her classes. She would still be in trouble, but maybe just a little less, if she showed up for some.

And maybe she would be able to make up a good excuse! She had been attacked by a random thug on the street, or had tripped and fallen flat on her face and...

She sighed and shook her head. _What am I saying? It's useless._

Kagome suddenly stiffened, hearing a slight rustling sound from down the hall. Nobody had been in the house other than herself and Yusuke the other night...had someone snuck in? She felt her heartbeat suddenly begin to quicken as she got up and headed for the kitchen, looking for a potential weapon, but only able to come up with a butter knife.

Catiously, she headed in the direction of the noise, dulled knife at the ready. "I-is someone the–?"

Kagome stopped suddenly, brown eyes widened in surprise, a single word echoing through her mind as she looked at the boy before her. "Inu...yasha?"

L-O-O-K-I-N-G

Crystal: Yes, I know. This chapter was t3h shortness. I would've made it a bit longer, but I felt it was necessary to update so you all know I'm alive. Besides, I think it's longer than most of my chapters. Yeah. Well, ja!


	9. Conflict

Crystal: Um...heh. n.n; I'm sure most of you thought I'd never write anymore... I did, but it sure took a while. I have one thing to say. SCHOOL IS HELL.

Twilight Oracle: Yesh, Inuyasha and Yusuke are the best. n.n I luff them both muchly.

Yesh, Yusuke/Kagome has always been one of my favored IY/YYH pairs. Kagome probably will find out about him being a Reikai Tantei, yes. I'm not going to spoil what Kagome chooses in the ending yet (though I think some of the things I've said have made it obvious anyway.) And Yusuke isn't necessarily on vacation, he just hasn't had many missions lately. It happens sometimes. Or, at least, I say it does. n.n

Silver-Shadow-Fox: Ah, yes, drama. n.n There will most likely be even more later, due to the triangle. Crystal luffs love triangles.

furubafan19: Wow, thank you so much. n.n I try to keep everyone in character, but I don't think I do it very well, so it's nice to hear that from someone.

CrimsonEyes7806: XD Yes, me too. Poor Kagome...and on that note, poor Yusuke, having some stranger come into his house and attempt to run away with his would-be girlfriend.

vicky, Yusuke's Angel, gurlhushere13, Itasuko-chan: Ack, thanks for putting up with me as I put off writing my chapters for so long. n.n; Here's your update!

L-O-O-K-I-N-G

**Conflict** _n._ A disagreement or clash between ideas, principles, or people.

A-T

It was a very vague feeling, as if she knew him somehow, but she couldn't remember where. All she knew was a name. Inuyasha.

He stepped towards her, hand slightly reaching out in her direction. "Kagome..." he said in an almost soft tone, as if saying it too loud would cause her to disappear somehow. Though he hadn't showed it, – not to Shippou, Sango, or Miroku – he had known inside that there was a good chance he may never see her again. Now that she was here, he wouldn't lose her again.

Just with his voice, memories came rushing back to her, of the same white-haired boy she had once envisioned herself in the library. She was suddenly filled with the realization that this "Yusuke's double" was not just a dream, or perhaps an illusion caused by the stress of studying too hard, but he was real. A real person whom she had once known.

Quickly regaining his composure, Inuyasha added on a snappy, "Where the hell have you been?"

"I..." Kagome was not able to say anymore, however, for she had passed out on the floor.

Y-O-U

The noise of her fall had not gone unnoticed, as it stirred a single sleeping boy awake. "Huh? Wha' was tha'?" he muttered, eyes half-open. Slowly opening them more, he looked around for the girl, only to see nowhere in the immediate vicinity. "Kagome?"

L-O-O-K-I-N-G

Inuyasha was taken aback and her sudden loss of consciousness, but soon was on the floor himself, prodding her awake to no avail. "Kagome, wake up!" He scoffed; she was out cold.

_Whatever. I'll just take Kagome and leave,_ he thought to himself, scooping up the schoolgirl in his arms and turning back towards the open window he had come from.

"Who are you and where the hell are you going with Kagome?"

Inuyasha looked over his shoulder to see his own face glaring back at him. "Wha...who _are_ you?"

"Funny, that's what I was just about to ask you!"

Within a moment, Yusuke was in a flustered Inuyasha's face. _This guy's not human! He can't be!_ Eyes narrowed, he held Kagome a bit closer to himself in a somewhat protective fashion. "What are you and how do you know Kagome?"

"We go to the same school. What's it to you?" replied an increasingly impatient Yusuke. However, he would not strike the guy, not as long as Kagome was in his hands. The last thing he wanted to do was cause her any harm. "Now put Kagome down and I won't hurt you _too_ badly."

"Keh! Is that a challenge?" Inuyasha replied in his usual cocky tone, putting Kagome down on the floor gently and cracking his knuckles to prepare for a fight, when he realized he no longer had his claws. _Damn. I almost forgot I'm human now._

Yusuke began to get his fists at the ready, then relaxed his body and let out what sounded almost like a sigh. "Look. You seem like just a normal human to me, so I don't want to waste my time fighting you. Why don't you just get out of here, and we'll forget this ever happened."

Inuyasha did not take to this well. "Are you mocking me?" he demanded, left eyebrow twitching ever so slightly.

"I just don't want to fight a human," Yusuke said in an exasperated tone, almost as if he was talking to a kid. "Now scram."

"Is that right?" Inuyasha asked with an edgy tone. "You look pretty human yourself."

Yusuke scoffed. "That shows how much you know. Now for the last time, get out now or I'll kick your ass without any further notice."

At this point, Inuyasha snapped. Powerless or not, Inuyasha's pride greatly outweighed his common sense. "I'll _kill_ you, dammit!" he screamed, lunging to give Yusuke a good slugging.

Yusuke was able to barely dodge. He hadn't expected the guy to actually come out and attack him, so he had been caught off guard. However, now that he no longer had the element of surprise, Yusuke knew the boy would never be able to lay a finger on him.

Inuyasha attempted to strike again, but Yusuke dodged easily, way ahead of his actions now. However, being the stubborn idiot he was, the former hanyou wouldn't stop trying, but instead kept throwing even harder punches.

_This guy is fast for a human...a lot better than any of the ones I fought,_ Yusuke thought, a slight frown on his face. _Still nothing compared to me, though._ _A couple punches should knock him out cold..._ he mused, growing tired of dodging wild punches.

"St—stop it!"

Yusuke stopped, fist raised in mid-air, and turned to look at Kagome, as did Inuyasha. She had finally come to, and did not look very happy at all.

"What is wrong with you two? What are you fighting over?" she demanded as she began to push herself up off the ground. "O..."

"Um...Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, looking slightly worried.

"O..."

Now he looked downright panic-stricken. "Kagome, wait!"

"OSUWARI!"

The rosary beads around Inuyasha's neck glowed brightly and plummeted to the ground, pulling down the flustered Inuyasha with them.

"Um...is he okay?" Yusuke asked nervously, looking down at the face-planted boy.

"Don't worry about him. He's fine."

Yusuke's expression changed from a look of surprise to annoyance. "And why didn't you do that sooner?"

"I was unconscious, you jerk!"

A-T

Crystal: I'm such a terrible person. I haven't updated in months, and now that I have it's uber short. This one was a bit hard to write... Excuse the OOCness...I mean, it's for the sake of the story right? (Sigh.) At least I finally got it out. Can't say how long it's going to take to do the next chapter. Um...I'm not even entirely sure what'll _happen_ next chapter. O.o


End file.
